Welcome to Manescula

The journey from the Academy to the vampire capital took a staggering seven days through the rough seas. Jaden had completely lost track of the time, losing all sense of night and day the farther that they traveled. "Are we almost there? Please say yes…" Said Malin who was leaned over the rail with extreme sea sickness. He was a land dweller and his body agreed that he had no business being on a boat, especially for this long. Jaden chuckled as he watched his new companion spew his guts over the side of the ship. "Hang in there bud. Lilith said it shouldn't be long before we touch land soon." As if she heard her name being spoken, Lilith walked up onto the upper deck with her parasol in hand to protect her delicate skin from the rays that peaked through the clouds.

"Speaking of which, we will be making contact very soon, my lord. Have a look for yourself." She said as she pointed off into the distance. Jaden held his hands over his eyes to help them focus as he saw a thick mist that acted like a wall reaching from the clouds to the oceans surface. "What is that? Some kind of wall?" He asked perplexed. Lilith nodded her head as she walked over to meet him by the railing. "That is the great barrier that I had mentioned to you before. It protects the capital from foreign invaders. Only vampires have permission to travel through the fog into its center. Anyone else will become lost and would be spit back out somewhere else in the sea. It's how we've kept our presence a secret for all of these years." Jaden looked on in astonishment as the boat started to get consumed by the fog the closer they got, until even his vision was obscured and he couldn't see a thing. No wonder other people would get lost, there is no way to tell which way you're going even if you think you're going straight!

But not too long after they entered the mist, they found themselves back in the clear where the atmosphere around him completely changed. He looked up and saw an island with a tall looming castle in the center of it, surrounded by what looked to be a town. "Welcome home, my king! Welcome back to the city of Manescula! Kingdom of lost souls!" Lilith proclaimed proudly. Jaden's eyes widened in awe as he saw the castle in the distance. It was gloomy with a dark cloud surrounding its tallest spire, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. He didn't know why, but he had a sense of nostalgia being here at the island. Almost like he had been here before a long time ago. The boat made it to the docks and anchored itself. Lilith's bodyguards helped to escort them off the ship where they finally stood with their feet planted on the Earth after being at sea for a whole week.

Malin knelt down on the floor on his hands and knees and kissed the soil, happy to finally be off of that death trap. "Sweet land how I missed you!" He said with his ears and tail popping up on his body, his tail wagging like mad. Jaden chuckled at the sight of the only friend he's had to keep him company through the last couple of days. Lilith grimaced seeing Malin's unsightly appearance as she fanned herself with her hand, trying to deter the smell of dog that wafted in her nose. "I have no complaints about you bringing him with you, but I would recommend you keep a tight leash on him. The citizens would be in a tizzy if they found out a werewolf has made it to our precious island. Most of them have never even seen a werewolf before, so you can imagine the shock if they saw one waltz into town."

Jaden didn't even think about that. He wanted to make a good first impression to the people he was about to become the ruler of, and having a friend with wolf ears and a tail probably wasn't the best look for him. He walked over to Malin and nudged him with his leg. "She's got a point. Think you can lose the extra extremities?" Jaden said to Malin with a strained smile, trying to hide how nervous he was. Because he was in fact, incredibly nervous. It wasn't every day you inherit the keys to an entire kingdom after all. Malin quickly stood up and bowed to Jaden apologetically as his ears and tails poofed away. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I can't help it when I get really excited." Malin said impishly as he bowed with his eyes shut tightly. He looked up for a moment and saw Jaden reach a hand towards him, and thinking he was about to be struck, flinched in response. But Jaden just carefully tousled his hair as he smiled at him, which shocked him. Malin was so used to being disciplined by both Sartorius and Maynard that he forgot what a gentle touch felt like.

"Don't worry about it. I don't care if you wolf out, just make sure not to do it in front of the people living in town." Malin stood with his back straight as he blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Alright…" He said in response to his new master. Lilith walked up to the brick road that was near them and put her fingers in her mouth as she released a shrieking whistle. On command, a black sedan with tinted windows pulled up and parked itself in front of them. One of her guards had walked over and pulled the door handle open for her as she graciously sat inside, leaving room for Jaden to come and sit next to her. "Are you coming? The people are eager for our arrival. We wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Jaden gulped as he set next to her in the back seat of the car. "What about my friends? Is it just going to be us?" He asked the queen. "For now, yes. It is custom that royalty travel alone. My daughter would normally be with us but in her condition, that is not going to happen. So I guess you're going to be stuck with me for a short period. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable." The beautiful woman said as she frowned slightly.

Jaden waved his hands in front of his face, quickly trying to dismiss the thought. "Oh no! I'm fine, really! I was just wondering if they were going to come with us, that's all." He said as he forced on a smile. Lilith giggled as she placed a hand on his own. "Relax. You will be just fine. They will love you the minute they sense your presence. But to finish answering your question, a carriage will come to transport both my daughter and your friends straight to the castle. So you will see them there soon, don't worry." Lilith then let go of his hand and directed her attention back to the driver, nodding at him and silently signaling for him to start driving. The chauffeur obliged and started driving down the road towards the main town. Jaden cleared his throat as he fixed the collar of his blazer. He never really cared about his looks but for a moment as important as this he wanted to seem presentable at least. But compared to what Lilith was wearing in her fancy black gown, he only looked like a regular high school boy. Nothing about his appearance spoke royalty, and that made him nervous even more.

The drive was quiet as Jaden stared out the window, watching the scenery as they drove passed. This place felt like straight out of a brother's grim fairytale. The trees looked gangly with black bark and twisted branches that lacked any kind of greenery, and the sky above them was covered by thick gray clouds that blocked out the sun, which casted a shadow on everything beneath the dark covered skies. "Is it always so gloomy looking here?" Said Jaden as he started to feel unsettled by his surroundings. "Yes, my lord. As you know, we vampires are creatures of the night. The clouds are created using dark magic so that even during the day when we are supposed to be asleep, we can leave our homes if we so wish too. Although, you will hardly ever find a single soul out during these hours as most of the citizens avoid daylight all together. But when night fall comes, the town lights up and it is definitely a spectacle to behold.

They finally pulled up to the large steel gates that blocked off the entrance to the city, and once the car came to a stop, two soldiers wearing black armor with matching helmets standing atop the high stone walls that surrounded the town, blew their horns and the gate started to open, allowing them access to the marvels within. Despite what Lilith said about the people normally being asleep during the hours of the day, the streets were full of spectators who cheered as they watched the black sedan pull into town, excited knowing full well who the people were inside of it. Jaden waved through the window as he watched his soon to be subjects with children happily running beside the car, trying to get a glimpse inside. "I thought you said I wouldn't see a single soul!" Jaden said feeling overwhelmed by the praise he was getting by the crowds of people. He was started wondering if maybe this is what celebrities felt like when they were being chased by their fans.

Lilith giggled as she saw how anxious he was becoming. Despite him having the soul of an immortal being who age transcended anyone else's in town, he was still just a child. "I did say that. But as I've said before, the people have been waiting on your arrival for a very long time. Their true king is finally home, how can they sleep knowing that?" Jaden noticed something weird about the citizens though. Everyone was dressed like they were still stuck in the Victorian Era, with women wearing long gowns and some with puffy hoop skirts underneath and the men wore full tailored suits with top hats. In fact, the whole town looked like it was frozen in time. It was like he was sucked back in time where people told stories about dragons flying through the sky and unicorns ran through the forest. But then again, that could be a possibility if vampires, werewolves and even angels existed. Who's to say what other kind of mythical beasts existed out in the world?

They made it to the edge of town to a lake that was the pinnacle of the whole city. Despite how dreary and dead everything else looked, the water was crystal clear and sparkled with magic. It looked like it was absolutely invigorating with life. In the middle of the lake was the castle that he saw back on the shore when they first departed off the boat, but it looked like there was no way of making it across. There was no bridge connecting the castle to them, so he wondered how they were going to make it from here to there. Lilith saw the look of confusion on his face and giggled. "I knew you'd have a reaction like that. Just watch. You're going to love this." She held her hand out in front of her as it started to glow with a purple light while she spoke an incantation underneath her breath. From below the water rose up a grand looking marble bridge with gargoyles on all four corners and a red velvet carpet that streaked down the middle, completely dry even though it was just submerged underneath the water. Jaden's jaw dropped as that was the last thing he was expecting to see. "How did you do that?!" He said extremely interested. Did this mean that he too could cast magic like that? He hadn't done it before but then again, he never tried. He thought that increased speed and strength was the extent of his powers.

But now that he thought back on it, Anastasia displayed powers that he himself didn't harness with how she was able to turn parts of her body into living weapons. Did that mean she was using some sort of magic to enhance her natural abilities? "That is just a little example of what dark magic can do. I promised to train you and I intend to keep that promise, my young king. You still have so much to learn about what it means to truly be a creature of the night. Now, come. Your castle awaits you." She said as she strode forward almost gliding on the ground across the bridge with Jaden hastily following behind her. They made it to the giant doors which opened seemingly on their own, and inside was a line on both sides of servants bowing as they entered the giant room. "Welcome home my lady. You have been missed in your absence." They all said in unison. A maid stepped out of line holding a tray with two glasses of what looked like to be wine standing on it, but from the scent Jaden could tell that it was in fact blood.

The maid walked over to them and offered them the drink which Lilith generously accepted and took a small sip from, stealing a glance at Jaden who still looked reluctant to take the drink from her. "Don't be shy. We are not going to judge; we are all vampires here. You must be hungry after that long journey we were just on, so please, indulge yourself." Jaden took the glass and had a blush on his face as he felt embarrassed when he took a sip from the wine glass, but his attitude quickly changed as he was instantly enamored by the taste. It was nothing like he had ever tasted before. It tasted extremely fresh even though it didn't come from a fresh body. The quality of the blood tasted like it was tampered with to enhance the flavor and he was thoroughly enjoying it as he chugged it down from not being able to control himself. He set the glass back down on the tray and wiped his mouth. "Th-thank you very much ma'am." The maid bowed to him as she retreated back to take her place in line.

Lilith clapped her hands and the servants quickly dispersed to go and attend their regular duties around the castle, except for two of the butlers who came to take Jaden's luggage from him to carry them to his room. "It is rather later, or I suppose I should say early?" Lilith said as she giggled at her own joke. "We should head off to bed now. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow so be sure to have a good night's rest. I will come to collect you tomorrow night. The servants will guide you to your quarters. Sleep well, my young king." She said as the two finally separated and headed in different directions in the castle. Jaden followed the two servants who walked ahead of him and he started to feel really awkward by all of this as it started to hit him all at once. Jaden grew up in an orphanage and was raised by Elena in a small two bedroom home with one floor. Now he was walking around in a castle that he supposedly owned that could fit 100 of Elena's houses inside of it, even more. They made it to a large set of black painted oak doors with ivy carvings in it. "This is your room my lord, it has been untouched since your last visit here. Everything should be just the way you like it and just how you left it." Said one of the servants before they opened the doors for him. Jaden entered inside of it and was instantly smacked in the face with nostalgia. It looked incredibly familiar and then he realized why. This was the same exact room that was in his vision when he was reliving Haou's memories. Just like the servants said, the room looked exactly the same from how he remembered it.

From the large canopy bed with red satin sheets and two fluffed pillows, to the dark gray wallpaper with bat designs that lined the ceiling, everything looked exactly the same. The two servants set his stuff down where he directed them too and bowed once more before him. "If you ever need anything, just ring for us. We are at your beck and call my lord. And let us be the first to tell you, welcome home." Jaden chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't used to anybody treating him with such respect. He was so used to being called a Slifer slacker that he got used to the mundane treatment of other people. He had gotten used to Anastasia addressing him as my king and lord, but hearing everyone else say it to him made him feel kind of embarrassed in a way. "Uh, yeah. Thank you." After that, the two servants left him to be alone with his thoughts.

Jaden walked around the room as he touched the furniture. He only had seen bits and pieces of Haou's memories from when he used to live here, but Jaden couldn't help but feel like he was finally at home where he belonged. It was a nice feeling because Jaden never felt like he belonged anywhere until now. He made it to the bed and counted to three in his head and dove headfirst into the sheets and instantly felt his body melt as he sunk into the feather stuffed comforter and enjoyed as the mattress conformed around his body shape almost like it was hugging him tightly. "Oh yeah… I could get used to this." He said as he started to close his eyes. He didn't realize how tired he was until he finally got a moment to relax. As Jaden started to settle in for some well-deserved rest, Haou materialized beside him in his ghostly form with his crossed arms and smirked as he saw the pathetic sight of Jaden wrapped in the sheets like a child tucked up to his neck.

"Enjoying my bed, I see? It is made of the finest material money could buy." He said proudly, but his rather sudden and unexpected appearance caused Jaden to spring up and scream. "Don't do that! For a second I thought this room was haunted or something!" Jaden looked up at his other half and noticed something different about him. Normally, he could see through Haou as if he was a ghost, but somehow, He looked more solid to him. Like his presence was being solidified in reality. The golden eyed version of him walked over to the balcony and leaned over the rail as he took in the scenery of his domain which he had longed to be reunited with. "Tell me Jaden, what do you think of Manescula so far? Did it meet your expectations?" Asked Haou to his better half. "Well, I only just got here so I don't really know what to think. But the people seem nice enough and the town is thriving, so I guess I think it's pretty nice here." Haou chuckled at his response which is what he expected Jaden to say. "I worked very hard to turn this place into what it is today. But it wasn't always thriving. Once upon a time, this island was in total ruin when the Light of Destruction made its first attack on humanity. My village was destroyed and I was the last person left alive."

Jaden sat up in his bed even more as he became immersed in the story. Haou had never talked about his past much with him so to him, Haou had always been sort of a mystery. Just some demon that told him to do bad things. And even though they were supposed to the same person, Haou was a complete stranger Jaden didn't know anything about. Maybe he was confiding in him because he was back home where he was the most comfortable. But whatever the reason, he wanted to learn more. "You've heard people say that I am the ancestor of all vampires. But how did I come to be then if there were no vampires before me?" Jaden tilted his head as he pondered that question until it registered in his mind. "You… you were born a human?" Haou nodded in response as his face turned back to being deadly serious.

"I remember that day when the sky burned with a fiery light. I was just a child when it happened, but I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was in the meadow near our village, helping my mother pick herbs to cure my father who was sick. On our way back, the sky glowed with a holy light and my mother saw what looked like men with wings descending from the sky. We heard screams off in the distance as the bird men landed in our little village and started killing people. Men, woman, children. Everyone." Haou's voice started to take a darker tone the deeper he got into his tale. It was obvious that him recalling these memories was not a pleasant experience for him. "My mother rushed ahead of me to try and protect my father who was defenseless, resting in his bed. When we made it home, we were too late. A bird man stood over his corpse with his still beating heart in its hands. I followed in after her only to watch as she was stabbed through her chest, her body falling on top of me as the creature continued to stab her over and over."

Jaden could feel immense anger resonating inside of him. As Haou spoke, he could feel the same emotions he was feeling. It was everything. It was hatred and anger, sadness and remorse. But most of all, Jaden felt pain for something he missed but could never get back. "I was trapped beneath my mother's corpse. I was terrified. I couldn't do anything except pretend to be dead along with my family. Eventually, it left me alone to set its sights on someone else. I stayed trapped beneath my mother until all the screaming had stopped. I thought it was over, until I could see from outside threw the front door as the sky started to burn even brighter. A giant beam of light crashed down on our village and incinerated everything. The last gift my mother gave to me, was by protecting me from most of the heavenly fire. But I did not escape unfazed. I was burnt nearly to a crisp. But yet somehow, I still drew breath. I remember laying there in immense pain until the sun went down. I looked up at the night sky and prayed to anyone who could hear me. 'I want revenge.' 'Someone give me the strength to avenge my family.' The last thing I expected was for someone to respond to my pleads."

Jaden was now thoroughly invested in the story as he laid on his stomach with his head resting on his hands. "And then what? Who answered you?" Haou looked at his better half and smirked as he walked over to sit beside him. "I don't know who exactly. But it was someone with great power. A power that I desperately wanted. It spoke to me with a demonic voice that pulsated in my mind. It said 'Dear child, I can help you. But for a price. In debt your life to me and become an extension of my body, and only then I will give you the power to continue living and to fight for what you lost.'"

Jaden was starting to think that maybe he too met the same being Haou was talking about. The day before he left Duel Academy he had a dream about an inhuman creature that said it was the origins of the Gentle Darkness. So as far as that goes, Jaden had an image of who Haou was conversing with. "With the last ounce of my strength, I reached for the sky and promised my soul to whatever god I spoke too. And in return, I felt power flow within me. My body started to heal and started to change. After I was brought back to life, there was this burning hunger inside of me, screaming for blood. A traveler had found our burnt down haven and discovered me to be the only survivor, thinking I was only a child in need. But he was wrong. That man ended up becoming my first ever kill. And for many years after that, I grew stronger as my powers continued to manifest. I created followers who I shared my blood with and they became my new family. And together, we built Manescula. A safe place for our kind to devote ourselves to the darkness to one day eradicate the light forever."

Haou's eyes burned with an indescribable passion that Jaden had never seen his other half express before. Now it all made sense why Haou was so cynical and serious all the time. Jaden thought he had a tough life, but Haou made his trifles seem like a joke. For thousands of years, he had to fight with an enemy that never seems to die. No matter how many times he was able to dispel the light, the fight would never end as it would come back over and over again. Jaden finally understood the urgency in the purpose of his life now and was even more motivated to harness his powers.

He didn't want the light to take any more lives like it did Haou's family. He especially didn't want his friends and family to befall the same fate that Haou's parents and the rest of his village did. That was certainly no way for anyone to die. The darkness can be cruel, and vampires must take life to sustain their own. But the light was a different kind of evil. It purges and burns wherever it goes and it won't stop until the whole world is burnt in its heavenly fire. Even it Jaden has to fall into the darkness forever, he was okay with that if it meant he would have the strength to protect the ones he loved.